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Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Pork ribs done Memphis style, left overnight with a dry rub marinade, grilled over indirect heat for 1 hour, then brushed with a simple vinegar and mustard mop sauce and finished another hour.

Southern Style Dry Rub Pork Ribs

In many, if not most households, the husband is the master of the grill. Not in this house. The Cajun cooks nothing, and I mean nothing. So I'm the resident cook and griller, though I am certainly as amateur as it comes.

What you read here, is my learning process and what I'm picking up from cookbooks and from research, and frankly might just be all wrong. I am a gas grill girl for the most part, although on occasion I do also use my Weber kettle grill and I actually do even own a cheap-o smoker and more recently purchased an electric one, though purists will say that is not true smoking. The smoker is too time consuming and needy for my attention span and personality, and the wood or charcoal is generally a hassle and too wasteful for just the two of us. So gas and a smoker box is generally the winner for me.

In the past, I have always only owned the cheapest gas grills, which consequently also meant the smallest gas grills, but this spring I stepped up on my grill size to one that is large enough to actually do "zone" cooking - also known as cooking a rack of ribs over indirect heat. In the past I've had to bake them and then finish them with a sear on the grill. I did, of course, christen my brand new grill with my favorite cut of steak, a ribeye, adorned with absolutely nothing.

I got a little help with these ribs from an old cookbook of mine, The Barbecue! Bible, along with most of the tips in the recipe. Although adapted, these are dubbed Memphis style ribs (though mine weren't trimmed) for a couple of reasons.

First, I remove the membrane of the back side of spareribs. I don't know that everybody bothers with this, and while I don't find it necessary to do at all with baby back ribs, it tends to be tough on spareribs so I always remove it. Just work a knife up under the end and pull. If it's being a bit difficult, you can use a pair of pliers with a paper towel to grip it. Then just pull it up and off; discard.

I also remove the extra flap of meat that is on the top side. You can discard it or reserve it for another use, such as seasoning or for stock.

Lift it and gradually work the knife underneath and slice it off.

Now you have a nice, clean rack of ribs that is ready to season.

These start with a nice, dry rub marinade, using paprika, black pepper, a little bit of brown sugar, salt, celery seed, my fabulous and favorite Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, dry mustard and just a tad of cumin. Set aside a little bit of the rub mix to use at the end if you like - it adds another layer of flavor and is another trademark Memphis technique apparently.

The ribs are massaged all over with the rub, covered and left to marinate in the fridge overnight or about 8 hours if possible. Second, they are smoked rather than grilled, or as The Barbecue! Bible refers to them, "smoke cooked." I used some mesquite chips in a smoker box, because that is what I happened to have on hand - there are lots of nice wood blends available these days so check them out!

An hour into cooking, the ribs are treated with a simple vinegar and mustard mop sauce. Memphis style ribs are served sans sauce, so the mop sauce is used only for basting during cooking. I had never tried a mustard based mop before, at least not to my recollection! Surprisingly there wasn't any strong mustardy taste to the finished rib.

The hardest part for me was trying to figure out when the ribs were actually ready. From what I've read, there are apparently a couple of tests, none of which are foolproof. One way is when the meat pulls away from the bone about 1/4 inch or so and is fork tender. Another is sticking a toothpick in several areas (sort of like testing a cake); they are supposedly done when there is no resistance to the toothpick. Another says to bend the rack to see if the meat splits, another to sort of try to split away the bone to see how easily it tears, and another is simply cutting into the center to look!

These ribs were nice and meaty and finished with a nice, crusty exterior. They had a great spicy bite to them that we both loved, and though they were done at about 2-1/2 hours, I wished I would have left them on just a bit longer. These instructions are written for a gas grill, and my new grill has 5 burners plus a searing burner and I did have some challenges regulating the heat at first, finding that I had to run 3 of the 6 burners (30,000 BTUs) on high throughout the entire cooking process, in order to maintain the recommended 350 degrees. To be honest, I think these could have gone a bit longer. They had a nice tooth to them, but had not tightened up enough for me. New grill. First round using indirect cooking on this grill, and I'll definitely be doing these again.

I tried these ribs as is and they were delicious, but since The Cajun and I prefer our ribs a bit on the saucy side, we passed the sauce at the table. My homemade sauce would be excellent for that too!

Combine dry rub ingredients. Set aside a tablespoon of the rub and reserve for sprinkling on the ribs in the last few minutes of cooking, if desired. Pull the papery skin off the back of the spareribs and rub half of the dry rub on the ribs; turn and rub the other half. Wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight, or for up to 8 hours.

Preheat the grill and add ribs cooking over indirect heat for one hour. Brush generously on both sides with the mop sauce and continue cooking for another 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until the ribs are tender and have shrunk back from the ends of the bone. In the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with the reserved rub if desired.

Gas Grill Directions: If using wood chips, about 30 minutes before grilling, soak the wood chips in water. Drain and place into a smoker box, or make a tray out of aluminum foil. Place the smoker box over direct flame on the active side of the grill - the opposite side from where you plan to place the ribs. Light all the burners on the grill to high - you want to get the grill up to about 500 degrees, or hotter.

Once the chips begin to smoke, reduce the heat on the active side down to medium to medium high. You'll want to maintain a temperature of about 350 degrees, so adjust up or down as needed. Turn all of the burners off on the inactive side, where you plan to place the ribs. Under the inactive side where the ribs are going to be, carefully remove the grates and add a cheap aluminum foil tray right under the grates, on top of the heat tent (but not right on the burner), to catch the drippings, if desired. Fill it about halfway with water. Replace and oil the grates using a pair of tongs and a paper towel folded over several times and dipped in oil, and place the ribs on the grate above the drip pan, if using one.

Grill the ribs without turning, over the inactive side of the grill, for one hour. Brush generously on both sides with the mop sauce and continue cooking for another hour to hour and a half, or until the ribs are tender and have shrunk back from the ends of the bone. In the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with the reserved rub if desired.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

hi...just hopped over from sits and signed on to follow. i cook a LOT!!! i have a big green eggs and love it and have been smoking lots of things over this last year. stop by my blog when you have time and look at some of my recipes. also, click on the teddy's treats button on my sidebar and enter my current giveaway. i post one each week and it is usually for vintage glass pieces. there is still time to enter this weeks. the winner will be drawn on saturday and a new giveaway will be posted. i look forward to returning here often!

My dad is the same as The Cajun! I have never seen him cook anything--not even a can of Cambpell's soup. His and my mom's relationship is very egalitarian in every other way (he does laundry and she drives a tractor), but he does not cook. In fact, before my parents were married, he used to go to his mom's house most evenings for dinner...even though he lived 20 miles away! To be fair, though, he did go there most days to work. He had a job in town and also farmed part time with my grandpa. Anyway, I am very grateful to have a guy who cooks. My boyfriend is a very good cook. Cooking was like a treat for him in graduate school. It gave him a break from math and allowed him to focus on something pleasant. He used to tell me my cooking was "fine," which was a compliment from him. I've learned that I'll never compete with his grandma's Sunday dinners, but I have at least trained him to say things are "good" when he eats things other people have made! I'm thinking of getting my boyfriend a grill for his birthday in May...perhaps I'll give him this recipe to go with it :)

Red bout me the The Barbecue Bible for Christmas... Maybe a hint hint to his dad? Since acquiring the new grill, I am studying that book. Your ribs look superb and I'm sure they taste even better. Have a happy and Blessed Easter Mary.

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